Methods and systems for establishing communication with users based on biometric data

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems are disclosed herein for establishing communication with users based on biometric data. For example, in response to determining that a user has a particular biometric state, the media guidance application may present an option to contact another user that is associated with that biometric state.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/850,288, filed Apr. 16, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/928,011, filed Mar. 21, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No.10,659,470, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/265,681, filed Apr. 30, 2014, the disclosures of which are herebyincorporated by reference herein in their entities.

BACKGROUND

Recent advances have allowed users to monitor biometric data in ways andin places in which they previously could not. For example, mobiletechnology allows a user to monitor his or her heart rate, bloodpressure, and even the number of steps that the user takes during agiven day. Furthermore, mobile technology also allows users to accessmedia in ways and in places in which they previously could not. Despitethe unfettered access to media, in some cases, restricting access tomedia is beneficial to one or more users. However, given the variety ofcircumstances that may arise, restrictions on media may not beappropriate in all scenarios.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, methods and systems are disclosed herein for encouragingparticular behavior or performing particular actions based on biometricdata of a user. Specifically, by granting and restricting access tomedia and other user devices based on whether or not a user isconforming to a biometric state, a media guidance application mayencourage a user to maintain or achieve the biometric state.Furthermore, in response to detecting that a particular biometric statehas been achieved (or lost) the media guidance application mayautomatically select and/or perform one or more actions.

For example, the media guidance application may determine, based onbiometric data received from a biometric monitoring device, whether ornot the activities performed by the user throughout the day (e.g.,whether or not the user is consuming alcohol, smoking, exercising,studying, etc.) corresponds to one or more criteria (e.g., parentalcontrol restrictions regarding the activities) associated with a ruleset. If so, the media guidance application may allow a user to accessparticular media or use particular devices. If not, the media guidanceapplication may automatically perform particular actions (e.g., alert aparent, call a taxi, disable a vehicle, etc.). In another example, themedia guidance application may select a particular person or entity tocontact in response to determining that the user has a particularbiometric state.

In some aspects, the media guidance application receives a rule setassociated with a desired biometric state of a user. For example, themedia guidance application may receive a user input (e.g., from aparent) selecting a rule set corresponding with a specific goal (e.g.,studying, exercising, not smoking, etc.) for a first user (e.g., achild).

The media guidance application may determine a media guidanceapplication operation (e.g., associated with the goal or selected by theparent) that is associated with adherence to the rule set. For example,the media guidance application operation may include an option relatedto a presentation volume of content (e.g., how loud music may beplayed), an option related to what content, if any, can be presented(e.g., whether or not a media asset may be presented to the first user),an option related to a user device setting (e.g., whether or not a userdevice may be powered on), etc.

The media guidance application then cross-references the rule set with adatabase listing rules associated with rule sets to determine a rulethat corresponds to the rule set. For example, each rule set may beassociated with various rules also corresponding to fulfilment of thegoal associated with the rule set. For example, if a rule setcorresponds to studying for a particular amount of time, the rule setmay include one or more rules indicating a level of attention, a lack ofphysical movement, a lack of vocal communication, etc., that must bemaintained for one or more periods of time.

The media guidance application then determines a current biometric stateof the user. For example, the media guidance application may receivebiometric data from a biometric monitoring device that indicates one ormore biometric states of the user. The media guidance application thencompares the current biometric state of the user to the rule todetermine whether or not the current biometric state of the usercorresponds to the rule and enables (or disables) the media guidanceapplication operation in response to determining that the currentbiometric state of the first user corresponds to (or does not correspondto) the rule. For example, the media guidance application may detectthat a first user has a blood-alcohol level that is in violation of arule included in the rule set, and in response the media guidanceapplication may disable a media guidance application operationassociated with unlocking a vehicle or turning the vehicle on.

In some embodiments, in response to determining that the currentbiometric state of the user does not correspond to the rule, the mediaguidance application may disable a media guidance application operation(e.g., prevent a television or telephone from being used). Alternativelyor additionally, the media guidance application may transmit an alert toa remote device (e.g., associated with a parent) in response todetermining that the current biometric state of the user does notcorrespond to the rule. For example, if the media guidance applicationdetermines that a child has an elevated heart rate and/or an elevatedlevel of activity (e.g., indicating that the user is performing physicalactivity instead of studying), the media guidance application may alerta parent.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may present anotification of a relationship between the current biometric state ofthe user and the rule. For example, a relationship between the currentbiometric state of the user and the rule (e.g., the rule that the useris currently in violation of, or a degree to which a user is violatingthe rule, etc.). For example, if the media guidance applicationdetermines that a user currently has an elevated heart rate in violationof a rule, the media guidance application may alert the user toviolation and/or alert the user to the degree to which the heart rate ofthe user exceeds the rule.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may apply the rulesset based on particular conditions. For example, the rule set may bebased on parental control settings entered on a remote device, may beautomatically applied during a predetermined period time, orautomatically applied in response to determining the user is at apredetermined location, etc.

In some embodiments, the biometric state of the user involves receivingdata from a device attached to the user. For example, the biometricmonitoring device may be a device worn or held by a user such as anarmband, wristband, eyeglasses, or other wearable electronic device.

In some aspects, the media guidance application measures biometric dataassociated with a first user. For example, the media guidanceapplication may receive data from a biometric monitoring device attachedto, worn by, or held by the user. The media guidance applicationdetermines a biometric state of the user based on the biometric data.For example, the media guidance application may interpret the biometricdata to determine whether or not the heart rate of the user is elevated,whether or not a user is concentrating, etc.

The media guidance application then cross-references the biometric stateof the first user with a database listing a plurality of usersassociated with different biometric states to identify a second userassociated with the first user to establish communication based on thebiometric state of the first user. For example, the media guidanceapplication may determine a particular user to contact based on thebiometric state of the user. For example, if the biometric state of theuser corresponds to a blood-alcohol level of 0.02 (e.g., indicating thatthe user has been consuming alcohol), the media guidance application mayestablish communication with a friend or family member of the user. Ifthe biometric state of the user corresponds to a drop, or lack thereof,in the breath rate of the user (e.g., indicate the user has stoppedbreathing), the media guidance application may establish communicationwith a hospital. If the biometric state of the user corresponds to anincrease in the heart rate of the user (e.g., indicating the user is indanger), the media guidance application may establish communication withthe police.

The media guidance application then generates for display to the firstuser communication information associated with the second user based onthe identification. For example, in response to determining a particularuser or entity to contact, the media guidance application may transmit amailing address, an e-mail address, a web-site address, a telephonenumber, etc. for the particular user or entity to a user device (e.g., asmartphone) detected to be associated with the user.

Additionally or alternatively, the media guidance application maygenerate for display a list of a plurality of users or entities each ofwhich corresponds to the biometric state of the user. For example, inresponse to determining that a user is excited, the media guidanceapplication may present a list of all of the friends of a user (e.g., asindicated by a social network associated with the user).

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may additionallyestablish communication with the second user in response to a userinput. For example, after generating for display to the first user thecommunication information associated with the second user, the mediaguidance application may receive a user request (e.g., the selection ofa “call” icon) to contact the second user. Based on this request, themedia guidance application establishes communications with (e.g., calls)the second user.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may automaticallyestablish communication with the second user based on the biometricstate of the first user. For example, the media guidance application mayautomatically contact a user after the communication information hasbeen generated for display a particular amount of time. Alternatively oradditionally, the media guidance application may determine whether ornot to automatically contact the second user based on the biometricstate of the user. For example, if the biometric state of the userindicates that the user cannot or will be inhibited from requesting tocontact the second user (e.g., the user in unconscious), the mediaguidance application may automatically contact the second user.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may determine acommunication method for establishing communication with the second userbased on an identity of the second user. For example, the media guidanceapplication may determine that a particular user (e.g., a parent)prefers to receive communications via a telephone call, whereas adifferent user (e.g., a friend) prefers to receive communications viatext message. Additionally or alternatively, the media guidanceapplication may determine a communication method for establishingcommunication with the second user based on biometric state of the user.For example, if the biometric state of the user is not conducive tospeaking (e.g., the user is inebriated), the media guidance applicationmay determine to communicate via text message.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may determine amessage to be communicated the second user based on the biometric stateof the first user. For example, the media guidance application maydetermine to send a message inviting a user to join the first user on ajog in response to determining the user is jogging based on thebiometric data.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may measurebiometric data based on a schedule (e.g., automatically measured at apredetermined time or upon detecting the first use is at a predeterminedlocation). For example, the media guidance application may measure thebiometric data of the user every hour or upon detecting the user isentering a particular location (e.g., associated with a vehicle of theuser).

It should be noted, the systems and/or methods described above may beapplied to, or used in accordance with, other systems, methods and/orapparatuses.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects and advantages of the disclosure will beapparent upon consideration of the following detailed description, takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like referencecharacters refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 shows an illustrative example of a media guidance application inaccordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 shows another illustrative example of a media guidanceapplication in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an illustrative user equipment device inaccordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an illustrative media system in accordancewith some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of illustrative steps for enabling a mediaguidance application operation in response to determining that thecurrent biometric state of a user corresponds to a rule in accordancewith some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of illustrative steps for modifying media guidanceapplication operation(s) based on determined effects of the currentbiometric state of a user corresponding to one or more rules in a ruleset in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of illustrative steps for establishingcommunication with a second user based on the biometric state a firstuser in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure; and

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of illustrative steps for generating for displaycommunication information for all entities that correspond to thecurrent biometric state of the user in accordance with some embodimentsof the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Methods and systems are disclosed herein for encouraging particularbehavior or performing particular actions based on biometric data of auser. Specifically, by granting and restricting access to media andother user devices based on whether or not a user is conforming to abiometric state, a media guidance application may encourage a user tomaintain or achieve the biometric state. Furthermore, in response todetecting that a particular biometric state has been achieved (or lost)the media guidance application may automatically select and/or performone or more actions.

For example, the media guidance application may determine, based onbiometric data received from a biometric monitoring device, whether ornot the activities performed by the user throughout the day (e.g.,whether or not the user is consuming alcohol, smoking, exercising,studying, etc.) corresponds to one or more criteria (e.g., parentalcontrol restrictions regarding the activities) associated with a ruleset. If so, the media guidance application may allow a user to accessparticular media or use particular devices.

If not, the media guidance application may automatically performparticular actions (e.g., alert a parent, call a taxi, disable avehicle, etc.). In another example, the media guidance application mayselect a particular person or entity to contact in response todetermining that the user has a particular biometric state.

As used herein, “a media guidance application,” “interactive mediaguidance application,” or “guidance application” refers to a form ofmedia guidance through an interface that facilitates access to mediacontent or performs media guidance application operations. In someembodiments, the media guidance application may be provided as anon-line application (i.e., provided on a website), or as a stand-aloneapplication on a server, user device, etc. Various devices and platformsthat may implement the media guidance application are described in moredetail below. In some embodiments, the media guidance application and/orany instructions for performing any of the embodiments discussed hereinmay be encoded on computer readable media. Computer readable mediaincludes any media capable of storing data. The computer readable mediamay be transitory, including, but not limited to, propagating electricalor electromagnetic signals, or may be non-transitory including, but notlimited to, volatile and non-volatile computer memory or storage devicessuch as a hard disk, floppy disk, USB drive, DVD, CD, media card,register memory, processor caches, Random Access Memory (“RAM”), etc.

Interactive media guidance applications may take various forms dependingon the content for which they provide guidance. One typical type ofmedia guidance application is an interactive television program guide.Interactive television program guides (sometimes referred to aselectronic program guides) are well-known guidance applications that,among other things, allow users to navigate among and locate many typesof content or media assets. Interactive media guidance applications maygenerate graphical user interface screens that enable a user to navigateamong, locate and select content. As referred to herein, the terms“media asset” and “content” should be understood to mean anelectronically consumable user asset, such as television programming, aswell as pay-per-view programs, on-demand programs (as in video-on-demand(VOD) systems), Internet content (e.g., streaming content, downloadablecontent, webcasts, etc.), video clips, audio, content information,pictures, rotating images, documents, playlists, websites, articles,books, electronic books, blogs, advertisements, chat sessions, socialmedia, applications, games, and/or any other media or multimedia and/orcombination of the same. Guidance applications also allow users tonavigate among and locate content. As referred to herein, the term“multimedia” should be understood to mean content that utilizes at leasttwo different content forms described above, for example, text, audio,images, video, or interactivity content forms. Content may be recorded,played, displayed or accessed by user equipment devices, but can also bepart of a live performance.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application receives a rule setassociated with desired biometric state of a user. As used herein, a“rule set” refers to a collection of one or more rules that indicate abiometric states that corresponds to a specific goal. As used herein, a“rule” refers to a specific biometric state that corresponds to acomponent of the specific goal. For example, if the rule set maycorrespond to not to studying or concentrating on a task, a first ruleof the rule set may indicate a particular heart rate the user mustmaintain (e.g., indicating the user is not performing physicalactivities instead of sitting and studying), a second rule of the ruleset may indicate a particular perspiration level that must be maintained(e.g., indicating the user is not performing physical activities insteadof sitting and studying), a third rule of the rule set may indicate aparticular attention level that the user must maintain (e.g., indicatingthe user is concentrating instead of daydreaming). In another example,if the rule set corresponds to acceptable behavior (e.g., as determinedby a parental control setting), a first rule of the rule set mayindicate an allowable blood-alcohol level (e.g., zero percent) and asecond rule of the rule set may indicate an allowable level of nicotine(e.g., zero percent) for the user.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may apply the rulesset based on particular conditions. For example, the rule set may bebased on parental control settings entered on a remote device. Inanother example, the rule set may be automatically applied during apredetermined period time. For example, if a user is schedule to studyfor the next hour, the media guidance application may apply a rule setthe goal of which is to maintain conditions conducive to studying (e.g.,a high level of concentration, a lack of physical movement, etc.).

In some embodiments, a rule set may be applied in response to detectinga change in biometric data. For example, in response to a user'sperspiration level increasing, the media guidance application may applya rule set associated with maintaining proper hydration in the user.

In another example, the rule set may be automatically applied inresponse to determining the user is at a predetermined location. Forexample, the media guidance application may apply a first rule set whilea user is a first location (e.g., a library, school, etc.) and adifferent rules set while the user is a second location (e.g., abaseball field, a friend's house, etc.). The location may also berelative to a particular object. For example, the media guidanceapplication may determine the location of an object (e.g., a vehicleassociated with the user) and apply a rule set (e.g., limiting theblood-alcohol level of the user) when the user is near the location ofthe object.

As used herein, a “biometric state” refers to any qualitative orquantitative description of one or more biometric measurements relatedto a user. For example, a biometric state may describe a particularmeasurement (e.g., the heart bate (in beats per minute), breath rate (inbreaths per minute), blood pressure (in millimeters of mercury), etc.)of a user. A biometric state may alternatively or additionally describea characteristic of a user relative to a baseline biometric state of theuser (e.g., whether or not the user has a current attention level aboveor below the average attention level of the user) or relative to abaseline biometric state of an average user (e.g., whether or not theperspiration level of the user as measured by skin conductance is higheror lower than an average user in similar circumstances).

The media guidance application may further interpret or express themeasurements in numerous techniques such as ratios, percentages,categories (e.g., high, normal, low), or using any other technique fordistinguishing one biometric state from another. For example, aquantitative heart rate measurement (e.g., in beats per minute) may beconverted into a qualitative reading (e.g., such as “Good” or “Bad”)when generated for display to the user.

As used herein, “a biometric measurement” refers to distinctive,measurable characteristics used to label and describe the psychologicalor physiological conditions of a user. For example, biometricmeasurements that may be received, managed, monitored, and/or shared bya media guidance application may include psychological characteristicsrelated to the level of concentration, emotional state, mood, and/orpattern of behavior of a person, including but not limited to typingrhythm, gait, frequency of social interactions, voice tones, etc., ormay include physiological characteristics related to the status and/orshape of the body such as height, weight, medical condition(s), heartrate, blood pressure, fingerprint, body mass index, glucose level, facedescription, DNA, palm print, hand geometry, iris recognition, retina,odor/scent, and/or any other mechanical, physical, and biochemicalfunctions of a user, his/her organs, and the cells of which they arecomposed.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may determine apsychological or physiological condition of a user based on one or morebiometric measurements. For example, the media guidance application maydetermine the current mood of a user based on the heart rate, drowsinesslevel, or current brain activity of the user. In another example, themedia guidance application may determine the level of attention of auser based on current brain activity, eye contact, etc. Systems andmethods for determining moods, levels of attention, and othercharacteristics of a user based on brain activity are discussed ingreater detail in connection with Klappert et al., U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/038,158, filed Sep. 26, 2013; Klappert et al.,U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/038,046, filed Sep. 26, 2013;Klappert et al., U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/038,171, filed Sep.26, 2013; Klappert et al., U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/038,257,filed Sep. 26, 2013; Klappert et al., U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/037,984, filed Sep. 26, 2013; and Klappert et al., U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/038,044, filed Sep. 26, 2013; which are herebyincorporated by reference herein in their entireties.

It should be noted that any embodiment associated with the receipt,management, monitoring, and/or sharing of one or more biometricmeasurements may also be applied to the receipt, management, monitoring,and/or sharing of one or more psychological or physiological conditionsof a user.

In some embodiments, information related to biometric measurementsand/or psychological or physiological conditions of a user, includingany settings associated with the receipt, management, monitoring, and/orsharing of one or more biometric measurements and/or psychological orphysiological conditions of the user may be stored in a user profile.User profiles may also include compilations of media content interestsof the user.

The media guidance application may also determine a media guidanceapplication operation that is associated with adherence to the rule set.As referred to herein, a “media guidance application operation” refersto any operation performed by a media guidance application. For example,a media guidance application operation may correspond to providing,receiving, and/or generating for display media assets and/or mediaguidance data for consumption by a user. For example, media guidanceapplication operations include displaying media guidance data, providingoptions to navigate, select, and edit media guidance data or content(e.g., a media asset) associated with media guidance data, and/ormanipulating a device used to access (e.g., a display device), retrieve(e.g., a server), and/or associate media guidance data with a user(e.g., a user device for monitoring brain activity).

One of the functions of the media guidance application is to providemedia guidance data to users. As referred to herein, the phrase “mediaguidance data” or “guidance data” should be understood to mean any datarelated to content or data used in operating the guidance application.For example, the guidance data may include program information, guidanceapplication settings, user preferences, user profile information, medialistings, media-related information (e.g., broadcast times, broadcastchannels, titles, descriptions, ratings information (e.g., parentalcontrol ratings, critic's ratings, etc.), genre or category information,actor information, logo data for broadcasters' or providers' logos,etc.), media format (e.g., standard definition, high definition, 3D,etc.), advertisement information (e.g., text, images, media clips,etc.), on-demand information, blogs, websites, and any other type ofguidance data that is helpful for a user to navigate among and locatedesired content selections.

Other operations of a media guidance application are to play mediaassets and provide fast access playback operations for those mediaassets. As referred to herein, the phrase “fast-access playbackoperations” should be understood to mean any media guidance applicationoperation that pertains to playing back a non-linear media asset fasterthan normal playback speed or in a different order than the media assetis designed to be played, such as a fast-forward, rewind, skip, chapterselection, segment selection, skip segment, jump segment, next segment,previous segment, skip advertisement or commercial, next chapter,previous chapter or any other operation that does not play back themedia asset at normal playback speed. The fast-access playback operationmay be any playback operation that is not “play,” where the playoperation plays back the media asset at normal playback speed.

Still other operations of media guidance application may include thecontrol of devices. For example, a media guidance application operationmay include turning a device on and off, raising the volume associatedwith a device, adjusting the display settings of a device, assigningparental controls, transferring information (e.g., messages) from onedevice to another, storing and/or recording content, enteringauthorization information and/or payment information, etc. Additionally,the media guidance application operation may relate to the movement ofthe vehicle (e.g., where to, or how fast, the vehicle may move and/orwhether the vehicle may move at all).

In some embodiments, a media guidance application operation may relateto a social media activity such as publicly distributing a notificationand/or biometric data associated with a user. For example, the mediaguidance application may retrieve a list of entities such as friends(e.g., a social network buddy list), contacts (e.g., retrieved from aphone/text message/e-mail account associated with the user), and/orpublic services (e.g., hospitals, police departments, schools, etc.)with known associations to the user or the community of the user andgenerate for display communication information associated with thelisted entities.

For example, in response to a particular biometric state being detected,the media guidance application may determine that the biometric dataindicates that one or more friends of the user should be contacted. Themedia guidance application may then post messages to the social networkaccount associated with the user or with the selected friends. Themessage may include a description of the biometric state and/or anyother information to be shared by the user (e.g., the location of theuser, the activity being performed by the user, etc.). For example, inresponse to determining a biometric state is in violation of a rule, themedia guidance application may notify a user (or a third party) of arelationship between the biometric state and the rule (e.g., the rule ofwhich the user is currently in violation, or a degree to which a user isviolating the rule, etc.). For example, if the media guidanceapplication determines that a user (e.g., a child) is inebriated (e.g.,in violation of a rule), the media guidance application may notify athird party (e.g., a parent).

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may publicallydistribute the notification and/or media assets associated with the uservia a social network. For example, in response to determining that thebiometric state of a user, the media guidance application may postmessages to the social network account associated with the user.

As used herein, a “social network,” refers to a platform thatfacilitates networking and/or social relations among people who, forexample, share interests, activities, backgrounds, and/or real-lifeconnections. In some cases, social networks may facilitate communicationbetween multiple user devices (e.g., computers, televisions,smartphones, tablets, etc.) associated with different users byexchanging content from one device to another via a social media server.As used herein, a “social media server” refers to a computer server thatfacilitates a social network. For example, a social media serverowned/operated/used by a social media provider may make content (e.g.,status updates, microblog posts, images, graphic messages, etc.)associated with a first user accessible to a second user that is withinthe same social network as the first user. In such cases, classes ofentities may correspond to the level of access and/or the amount or typeof content associated with a first user that is accessible to a seconduser.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may determine anentity (e.g., another user) to establish communication with based on thebiometric data of a user. To do so, the media guidance application mayretrieve contacts and/or communication information of the entities.Furthermore, the media guidance application may determine whether or notan entity is of a particular class that should be contacted based on aparticular biometric state of the user. For example, the media guidanceapplication may identify, using processing circuitry, a class of anentity based on a comparison of the entity with a contacts listassociated with the user, in which the contacts list is stored instorage circuitry associated with a user device, account etc. associatedwith the user. As referred to herein, a “contacts list” refers to anycollection of names of entities associated with a user. In someembodiments, the contacts list used may be a contacts list associatedwith a particular account.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may cross-reference,using the processing circuitry, the class with a database listingbiometric states associated with different classes to determine whetheror not the media guidance application should generate communicationinformation associated with the entity for display to the user based onthe current biometric state of the user.

As used herein, “communication information” refers to any informationused by the user or by a device associated with the user to establishcommunication with another entity (e.g., another user). For example,communication information may include a mailing address, an e-mailaddress, a web-site address, a telephone number, an IP address, etc.associated with an entity. In some embodiments, all or parts of thecommunication information may be generated for display to a user.

Furthermore, in some embodiments, communication information may appearas information that does not necessarily describe an address, location,or other option for contacting a user. For example, a user deviceassociated with a user may generate for display only a name of an entityeven though the media guidance application has determined a telephonenumber that will be contacted in response to a user selecting thedisplayed name. In such cases, the name of the entity may be consideredthe communication information.

In some embodiments, a media guidance application operation may beassociated with a mobile user device. For example, the media guidanceapplication may detect a mobile user device (or the use of a mobiledevice) used by or otherwise associated with a user, and, perform orrestriction the media guidance application operations on that userdevice. As referred to herein, the phrase “user equipment device,” “userequipment,” “user device,” “electronic device,” “electronic equipment,”“media equipment device,” or “media device” should be understood to meanany device for accessing the content described above, such as atelevision, a Smart TV, a set-top box, an integrated receiver decoder(IRD) for handling satellite television, a digital storage device, adigital media receiver (DMR), a digital media adapter (DMA), a streamingmedia device, a DVD player, a DVD recorder, a connected DVD, a localmedia server, a BLU-RAY player, a BLU-RAY recorder, a personal computer(PC), a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a WebTV box, a personalcomputer television (PC/TV), a PC media server, a PC media center, ahand-held computer, a stationary telephone, a personal digital assistant(PDA), a mobile telephone, a portable video player, a portable musicplayer, a portable gaming machine, a smart phone, or any othertelevision equipment, computing equipment, or wireless device, and/orcombination of the same.

In some embodiments, the user equipment device may have a front facingscreen and a rear facing screen, multiple front screens, or multipleangled screens. In some embodiments, the user equipment device may havea front facing camera and/or a rear facing camera. On these userequipment devices, users may be able to navigate among and locate thesame content available through a television. Consequently, mediaguidance may be available on these devices, as well. The guidanceprovided may be for content available only through a television, forcontent available only through one or more of other types of userequipment devices, or for content available both through a televisionand one or more of the other types of user equipment devices. The mediaguidance applications may be provided as on-line applications (i.e.,provided on a web-site), or as stand-alone applications or clients onuser equipment devices. Various devices and platforms that may implementmedia guidance applications are described in more detail below.

In some embodiments, the biometric state of the user involves receivingdata from a device attached to the user. For example, a user device mayincorporate or have access to a biometric monitoring device which isattached to, worn by, or held by a user such as an armband, wristband,eyeglasses, or other wearable electronic device that may monitor for oneor more types of biometric data as discussed above.

FIGS. 1-2 show illustrative display screens that may be used to providemedia guidance data. The display screens shown in FIGS. 1-2 may beimplemented on any suitable user equipment device or platform. While thedisplays of FIGS. 1-2 are illustrated as full screen displays, they mayalso be fully or partially overlaid over content being displayed. A usermay indicate a desire to access content information by selecting aselectable option provided in a display screen (e.g., a menu option, alistings option, an icon, a hyperlink, etc.) or pressing a dedicatedbutton (e.g., a GUIDE button) on a remote control or other user inputinterface or device. In response to the user's indication, the mediaguidance application may provide a display screen with media guidancedata organized in one of several ways, such as by time and channel in agrid, by time, by channel, by source, by content type, by category(e.g., movies, sports, news, children, or other categories ofprogramming), or other predefined, user-defined, or other organizationcriteria. The organization of the media guidance data is determined byguidance application data. As referred to herein, the phrase, “guidanceapplication data” should be understood to mean data used in operatingthe guidance application, such as program information, guidanceapplication settings, user preferences, or user profile information.

FIG. 1 shows illustrative grid program listings display 100 arranged bytime and channel that also enables access to different types of contentin a single display. For example, FIG. 1 may represent a displayavailable to a user. Display 100 may include grid 102 with: (1) a columnof channel/content type identifiers 104, where each channel/content typeidentifier (which is a cell in the column) identifies a differentchannel or content type available; and (2) a row of time identifiers106, where each time identifier (which is a cell in the row) identifiesa time block of programming. Grid 102 also includes cells of programlistings, such as program listing 108, where each listing provides thetitle of the program provided on the listing's associated channel andtime. With a user input device, a user can select program listings bymoving highlight region 110. Information relating to the program listingselected by highlight region 110 may be provided in program informationregion 112. Region 112 may include, for example, the program title, theprogram description, the time the program is provided (if applicable),the channel the program is on (if applicable), the program's rating, andother desired information.

In addition to providing access to linear programming (e.g., contentthat is scheduled to be transmitted to a plurality of user equipmentdevices at a predetermined time and is provided according to aschedule), the media guidance application also provides access tonon-linear programming (e.g., content accessible to a user equipmentdevice at any time and is not provided according to a schedule).Non-linear programming may include content from different contentsources including on-demand content (e.g., VOD), Internet content (e.g.,streaming media, downloadable media, etc.), locally stored content(e.g., content stored on any user equipment device described above orother storage device), or other time-independent content. On-demandcontent may include movies or any other content provided by a particularcontent provider (e.g., HBO On Demand providing “The Sopranos” and “CurbYour Enthusiasm”). HBO ON DEMAND is a service mark owned by Time WarnerCompany L.P. et al. and THE SOPRANOS and CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM aretrademarks owned by the Home Box Office, Inc. Internet content mayinclude web events, such as a chat session or Webcast, or contentavailable on-demand as streaming content or downloadable content throughan Internet web site or other Internet access (e.g. FTP).

Grid 102 may provide media guidance data for non-linear programmingincluding on-demand listing 114, recorded content listing 116, andInternet content listing 118. A display combining media guidance datafor content from different types of content sources is sometimesreferred to as a “mixed-media” display. Various permutations of thetypes of media guidance data that may be displayed that are differentthan display 100 may be based on user selection or guidance applicationdefinition (e.g., a display of only recorded and broadcast listings,only on-demand and broadcast listings, etc.). As illustrated, listings114, 116, and 118 are shown as spanning the entire time block displayedin grid 102 to indicate that selection of these listings may provideaccess to a display dedicated to on-demand listings, recorded listings,or Internet listings, respectively. In some embodiments, listings forthese content types may be included directly in grid 102. Additionalmedia guidance data may be displayed in response to the user selectingone of the navigational icons 120. (Pressing an arrow key on a userinput device may affect the display in a similar manner as selectingnavigational icons 120.)

Display 100 may also include video region 122, advertisement 124, andoptions region 126. Video region 122 may allow the user to view and/orpreview programs that are currently available, will be available, orwere available to the user. The content of video region 122 maycorrespond to, or be independent from, one of the listings displayed ingrid 102. Grid displays including a video region are sometimes referredto as picture-in-guide (PIG) displays. PIG displays and theirfunctionalities are described in greater detail in Satterfield et al.U.S. Pat. No. 6,564,378, issued May 13, 2003 and Yuen et al. U.S. Pat.No. 6,239,794, issued May 29, 2001, which are hereby incorporated byreference herein in their entireties. PIG displays may be included inother media guidance application display screens of the embodimentsdescribed herein.

Advertisement 124 may provide an advertisement for content that,depending on a viewer's access rights (e.g., for subscriptionprogramming), is currently available for viewing, will be available forviewing in the future, or may never become available for viewing, andmay correspond to or be unrelated to one or more of the content listingsin grid 102. Advertisement 124 may also be for products or servicesrelated or unrelated to the content displayed in grid 102. Advertisement124 may be selectable and provide further information about content,provide information about a product or a service, enable purchasing ofcontent, a product, or a service, provide content relating to theadvertisement, etc. Advertisement 124 may be targeted based on a user'sprofile/preferences, monitored user activity, the type of displayprovided, or on other suitable targeted advertisement bases.

While advertisement 124 is shown as rectangular or banner shaped,advertisements may be provided in any suitable size, shape, and locationin a guidance application display. For example, advertisement 124 may beprovided as a rectangular shape that is horizontally adjacent to grid102. This is sometimes referred to as a panel advertisement. Inaddition, advertisements may be overlaid over content or a guidanceapplication display or embedded within a display. Advertisements mayalso include text, images, rotating images, video clips, or other typesof content described above. Advertisements may be stored in a userequipment device having a guidance application, in a database connectedto the user equipment, in a remote location (including streaming mediaservers), or on other storage means, or a combination of theselocations. Providing advertisements in a media guidance application isdiscussed in greater detail in, for example, Knudson et al., U.S. PatentApplication Publication No. 2003/0110499, filed Jan. 17, 2003; Ward, IIIet al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,756,997, issued Jun. 29, 2004; and Schein et al.U.S. Pat. No. 6,388,714, issued May 14, 2002, which are herebyincorporated by reference herein in their entireties. It will beappreciated that advertisements may be included in other media guidanceapplication display screens of the embodiments described herein.

Options region 126 may allow the user to access different types ofcontent, media guidance application displays, and/or media guidanceapplication features. Options region 126 may be part of display 100 (andother display screens described herein), or may be invoked by a user byselecting an on-screen option or pressing a dedicated or assignablebutton on a user input device. The selectable options within optionsregion 126 may concern features related to program listings in grid 102or may include options available from a main menu display. Featuresrelated to program listings may include searching for other air times orways of receiving a program, recording a program, enabling seriesrecording of a program, setting program and/or channel as a favorite,purchasing a program, or other features. Options available from a mainmenu display may include search options, VOD options, parental controloptions, Internet options, cloud-based options, device synchronizationoptions, second screen device options, options to access various typesof media guidance data displays, options to subscribe to a premiumservice, options to edit a user's profile, options to access a browseoverlay, or other options.

The media guidance application may be personalized based on a user'spreferences. A personalized media guidance application allows a user tocustomize displays and features to create a personalized “experience”with the media guidance application. This personalized experience may becreated by allowing a user to input these customizations and/or by themedia guidance application monitoring user activity to determine varioususer preferences. Users may access their personalized guidanceapplication by logging in or otherwise identifying themselves to theguidance application. Customization of the media guidance applicationmay be made in accordance with a user profile. The customizations mayinclude varying presentation schemes (e.g., color scheme of displays,font size of text, etc.), aspects of content listings displayed (e.g.,only HDTV or only 3D programming, user-specified broadcast channelsbased on favorite channel selections, re-ordering the display ofchannels, recommended content, etc.), desired recording features (e.g.,recording or series recordings for particular users, recording quality,etc.), parental control settings, customized presentation of Internetcontent (e.g., presentation of social media assets, e-mail,electronically delivered articles, etc.) and other desiredcustomizations.

The media guidance application may allow a user to provide user profileinformation or may automatically compile user profile information. Themedia guidance application may, for example, monitor the content theuser accesses and/or other interactions the user may have with theguidance application. Additionally, the media guidance application mayobtain all or part of other user profiles that are related to aparticular user (e.g., from other web sites on the Internet the useraccesses, such as www.allrovi.com, from other media guidanceapplications the user accesses, from other interactive applications theuser accesses, from another user equipment device of the user, etc.),and/or obtain information about the user from other sources that themedia guidance application may access. As a result, a user can beprovided with a unified guidance application experience across theuser's different user equipment devices. This type of user experience isdescribed in greater detail below in connection with FIG. 4 . Additionalpersonalized media guidance application features are described ingreater detail in Ellis et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No.2005/0251827, filed Jul. 11, 2005, Boyer et al., U.S. Pat. No.7,165,098, issued Jan. 16, 2007, and Ellis et al., U.S. PatentApplication Publication No. 2002/0174430, filed Feb. 21, 2002, which arehereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.

Another display arrangement for providing media guidance is shown inFIG. 2 . For example, FIG. 2 may represent a display used to select rulesets or rules associated with particular rule sets. Video mosaic display200 includes selectable options 202 for content information organizedbased on content type, genre, and/or other organization criteria. Indisplay 200, parental control option 204 is selected, thus providinginformation related to parental controls in window 206. For example,window 206 may indicate rules or rule sets that are currently availableand/or are currently active. Through window 206, the media guidanceapplication may also display options related to parental controls. Forexample, the media guidance application may allow a user to customizethe rules, rule sets, and/or media guidance application operationsavailable to a user (or not available to a user) based on a particularbiometric state.

In some embodiments, a media guidance application may automaticallyretrieve a set of custom rules based on the demographic, geographic,familial status of a user. For example, if a user is located in thestate of Kansas, the media guidance application may automaticallyretrieve a rule set that corresponds to the biometric regulations (e.g.,allowable blood-alcohol level) associated with the state of Kansas. Inanother example, if a user is fifteen years old, the media guidanceapplication may automatically retrieve a rule set that corresponds toproper etiquette for fifteen year olds (e.g., blood-alcohol level andnicotine levels of zero percent). In yet another example, if a user ispart of a family grouping that has a custom rule set, the media guidanceapplication may automatically retrieve the custom rule set in responseto determining that the user is part of the family.

Display 200 also includes listings 208, 210, and 212 as programlistings. For example, listings 208, 210, and 212 may correspond tomedia assets that are available to a user based on the current behaviorof the user. In display 200 the listings may provide graphical imagesincluding cover art, still images from the content, video clip previews,live video from the content, or other types of content that indicate toa user the content being described by the media guidance data in thelisting. Each of the graphical listings may also be accompanied by textto provide further information about the content associated with thelisting. For example, listing 208 may include more than one portion,including media portion 214 and text portion 216. Media portion 214and/or text portion 216 may be selectable to view content in full-screenor to view information related to the content displayed in media portion214 (e.g., to view listings for the channel that the video is displayedon).

The listings in display 200 are of different sizes (i.e., listing 206 islarger than listings 208, 210, and 212), but if desired, all thelistings may be the same size. Listings may be of different sizes orgraphically accentuated to indicate degrees of interest to the user orto emphasize certain content, as desired by the content provider orbased on user preferences. Various systems and methods for graphicallyaccentuating content listings are discussed in, for example, Yates, U.S.Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0153885, filed Dec. 29, 2005,which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

Users may access content and the media guidance application (and itsdisplay screens described above and below) from one or more of theiruser equipment devices. FIG. 3 shows a generalized embodiment ofillustrative user equipment device 300. More specific implementations ofuser equipment devices are discussed below in connection with FIG. 4 .User equipment device 300 may receive content and data via input/output(hereinafter “I/O”) path 302. I/O path 302 may provide content (e.g.,broadcast programming, on-demand programming, Internet content, contentavailable over a local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN),and/or other content) and data to control circuitry 304, which includesprocessing circuitry 306 and storage 308. Control circuitry 304 may beused to send and receive commands, requests, and other suitable datausing I/O path 302. I/O path 302 may connect control circuitry 304 (andspecifically processing circuitry 306) to one or more communicationspaths (described below). I/O functions may be provided by one or more ofthese communications paths, but are shown as a single path in FIG. 3 toavoid overcomplicating the drawing.

Control circuitry 304 may be based on any suitable processing circuitrysuch as processing circuitry 306. As referred to herein, processingcircuitry should be understood to mean circuitry based on one or moremicroprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors,programmable logic devices, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs),application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc., and may includea multi-core processor (e.g., dual-core, quad-core, hexa-core, or anysuitable number of cores) or supercomputer. In some embodiments,processing circuitry may be distributed across multiple separateprocessors or processing units, for example, multiple of the same typeof processing units (e.g., two Intel Core i7 processors) or multipledifferent processors (e.g., an Intel Core i5 processor and an Intel Corei7 processor). In some embodiments, control circuitry 304 executesinstructions for a media guidance application stored in memory (i.e.,storage 308). Specifically, control circuitry 304 may be instructed bythe media guidance application to perform the functions discussed aboveand below. For example, the media guidance application may provideinstructions to control circuitry 304 to generate the media guidancedisplays. In some implementations, any action performed by controlcircuitry 304 may be based on instructions received from the mediaguidance application.

In client-server based embodiments, control circuitry 304 may includecommunications circuitry suitable for communicating with a guidanceapplication server or other networks or servers. The instructions forcarrying out the above mentioned functionality may be stored on theguidance application server. Communications circuitry may include acable modem, an integrated services digital network (ISDN) modem, adigital subscriber line (DSL) modem, a telephone modem, Ethernet card,or a wireless modem for communications with other equipment, or anyother suitable communications circuitry. Such communications may involvethe Internet or any other suitable communications networks or paths(which is described in more detail in connection with FIG. 4 ). Inaddition, communications circuitry may include circuitry that enablespeer-to-peer communication of user equipment devices, or communicationof user equipment devices in locations remote from each other (describedin more detail below).

Memory may be an electronic storage device provided as storage 308 thatis part of control circuitry 304. As referred to herein, the phrase“electronic storage device” or “storage device” should be understood tomean any device for storing electronic data, computer software, orfirmware, such as random-access memory, read-only memory, hard drives,optical drives, digital video disc (DVD) recorders, compact disc (CD)recorders, BLU-RAY disc (BD) recorders, BLU-RAY 3D disc recorders,digital video recorders (DVR, sometimes called a personal videorecorder, or PVR), solid state devices, quantum storage devices, gamingconsoles, gaming media, or any other suitable fixed or removable storagedevices, and/or any combination of the same. Storage 308 may be used tostore various types of content described herein as well as mediaguidance data and guidance application data that are described above.Nonvolatile memory may also be used (e.g., to launch a boot-up routineand other instructions). Cloud-based storage, described in relation toFIG. 4 , may be used to supplement storage 308 or instead of storage308.

Control circuitry 304 may include video generating circuitry and tuningcircuitry, such as one or more analog tuners, one or more MPEG-2decoders or other digital decoding circuitry, high-definition tuners, orany other suitable tuning or video circuits or combinations of suchcircuits. Encoding circuitry (e.g., for converting over-the-air, analog,or digital signals to MPEG signals for storage) may also be provided.Control circuitry 304 may also include scaler circuitry for upconvertingand downconverting content into the preferred output format of the userequipment 300. Circuitry 304 may also include digital-to-analogconverter circuitry and analog-to-digital converter circuitry forconverting between digital and analog signals. The tuning and encodingcircuitry may be used by the user equipment device to receive and todisplay, to play, or to record content. The tuning and encodingcircuitry may also be used to receive guidance data. The circuitrydescribed herein, including for example, the tuning, video generating,encoding, decoding, encrypting, decrypting, scaler, and analog/digitalcircuitry, may be implemented using software running on one or moregeneral purpose or specialized processors. Multiple tuners may beprovided to handle simultaneous tuning functions (e.g., watch and recordfunctions, picture-in-picture (PIP) functions, multiple-tuner recording,etc.). If storage 308 is provided as a separate device from userequipment 300, the tuning and encoding circuitry (including multipletuners) may be associated with storage 308.

A user may send instructions to control circuitry 304 using user inputinterface 310. User input interface 310 may be any suitable userinterface, such as a remote control, mouse, trackball, keypad, keyboard,touch screen, touchpad, stylus input, joystick, voice recognitioninterface, or other user input interfaces. Display 312 may be providedas a stand-alone device or integrated with other elements of userequipment device 300. For example, display 312 may be a touchscreen ortouch-sensitive display. In such circumstances, user input interface 312may be integrated with or combined with display 312. Display 312 may beone or more of a monitor, a television, a liquid crystal display (LCD)for a mobile device, amorphous silicon display, low temperaturepolysilicon display, electronic ink display, electrophoretic display,active matrix display, electro-wetting display, electrofluidic display,cathode ray tube display, light-emitting diode display,electroluminescent display, plasma display panel, high-performanceaddressing display, thin-film transistor display, organic light-emittingdiode display, surface-conduction electron-emitter display (SED), lasertelevision, carbon nanotubes, quantum dot display, interferometricmodulator display, or any other suitable equipment for displaying visualimages. In some embodiments, display 312 may be HDTV-capable. In someembodiments, display 312 may be a 3D display, and the interactive mediaguidance application and any suitable content may be displayed in 3D. Avideo card or graphics card may generate the output to the display 312.The video card may offer various functions such as accelerated renderingof 3D scenes and 2D graphics, MPEG-2/MPEG-4 decoding, TV output, or theability to connect multiple monitors. The video card may be anyprocessing circuitry described above in relation to control circuitry304. The video card may be integrated with the control circuitry 304.Speakers 314 may be provided as integrated with other elements of userequipment device 300 or may be stand-alone units. The audio component ofvideos and other content displayed on display 312 may be played throughspeakers 314. In some embodiments, the audio may be distributed to areceiver (not shown), which processes and outputs the audio via speakers314.

Detection module 316, or the detection module circuitry, may beincorporated into, coupled to, or accessible by the media guidanceapplication (e.g., via control circuitry 304). Detection module 316 maybe used to measure, monitor, identify, and determine biometric dataand/or a current biometric state of a user. For example, the mediaguidance application may receive data describing the biometric state ofa user.

For example, the media guidance application, or the user device uponwhich the media guidance application is implemented, may incorporateand/or have access to a plurality of sensors and/or monitoringcomponents. In some embodiments, the media guidance application, or theuser device upon which the media guidance application is implemented,may incorporate and/or have access to an electroencephalogram unit(“EEG”). An EEG measures electrical activity associated with a brain ofa user. For example, an EEG may measure voltage fluctuations and/or thefrequency or frequency range of voltage fluctuations generated by thebrain of a user. In some embodiments, the media guidance application, orthe user device upon which the media guidance application isimplemented, may incorporate and/or have access to an electromyogramunit (“EMG”). An EMG measures the electrical activity of nervescontrolling muscles at rest and during contraction.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application, or the user deviceupon which the media guidance application is implemented, mayincorporate and/or have access to a heart monitor, glucose blood meter,respiratory monitors, devices for obtaining tissue, blood, and/or anyother suitable samples from a user, and/or any other devices necessaryfor determining the biometric measurements of the user.

In some embodiments, display 200 may indicate psychological and/orphysiological conditions to monitor in addition to, or as an alternativeto, individual biometrics to monitor. For example, if the media guidanceapplication monitors a mood of the user, the media guidance applicationmay monitor multiple biometrics in order to monitor the mood. Forexample, the media guidance application may compare the breathing rate(e.g., determined via a respiratory monitor), blood pressure (e.g., viaa blood pressure monitor), alpha wave activity (e.g., via a EKG), andmuscle tension (e.g., via an EMG) to determine the particular mood auser is currently experiencing. Thus, in response to selecting tomonitor a mood of the user, the media guidance application may obtaindata from a plurality of devices and/or obtain a plurality of biometricmeasurements.

Detection module 316 may also calibrate biometric measurements based onthe user. For example, the media guidance application may calibrate thevarious biometric measurements based on the typical measurement of theuser and/or skewing caused by a particular sensor or monitoringcomponent. For example, the media guidance application may track thebiometrics of the user (e.g., in a personal log stored in storage 308),which tracks various biometrics of the user.

In some embodiments, detection module 316 may include a GlobalPositioning System (“GPS”) detection component, which determines orreceives information describing the geographic position of a user or anobject associated with a user (e.g., a vehicle) for use in applying arule set based on the location of a user.

Additionally or alternatively, the media guidance application maydetermine the biometric state by applying one or more contentrecognition techniques. For example, detection module 316 may recordbiometric state of the user and analyze the biometric state of the userfor one or more indicates of a biometric state or a particular biometricmeasurement. For example, the media guidance application (e.g., viacontrol circuitry 304) may use a content recognition module or algorithmto generate data describing the context, content, and/or any other datanecessary for determining a biometric state or a particular biometricmeasurement. For example, the content recognition module may use objectrecognition techniques such as edge detection, pattern recognition,including, but not limited to, self-learning systems (e.g., neuralnetworks), optical character recognition, on-line character recognition(including, but not limited to, dynamic character recognition, real-timecharacter recognition, intelligent character recognition), and/or anyother suitable technique or method to analyze recorded behavior of auser. For example, the media guidance application may receive data inthe form of a video. The video may include a series of frames. For eachframe of the video, the media guidance application may use a contentrecognition module or algorithm to determine the objects (e.g., people,places, things, etc.) in each of the frames or series of frames, whichmay be used to determine biometric state or a particular biometricmeasurement. For example, the media guidance application may analyzeeach frame of the video to determine the number of times that a userbreaths (e.g., by detecting the rise and fall of the chest of a user)over the length of the video. The media guidance application may thencompare this determination (e.g., the breath rate of the user) to theone or more rules or rule sets to determine if the current biometricstate (e.g., corresponding to the current breath rate) corresponds toone or more rules or rule sets.

In some embodiments, the content recognition module or algorithm mayalso include speech recognition techniques, including, but not limitedto, Hidden Markov Models, dynamic time warping, and/or neural networks(as described above) to translate spoken words into text and/orprocessing audio data. The content recognition module may also combinemultiple techniques to determine biometric state or a particularbiometric measurement. For example, if the media guidance applicationdetermines the user is out or breath or laboring to breath based onsounds coming from the user, the media guidance application may use thisinformation to determine the current biometric state or a particularbiometric measurement of the user.

In addition, the media guidance application may use multiple types ofoptical character recognition and/or fuzzy logic, for example, whenprocessing keyword(s) retrieved from data (e.g., textual data,translated audio data, user inputs, etc.) describing biometric state ora particular biometric measurement (or when cross-referencing varioustypes of data in databases). For example, if the particular datareceived is textual data, using fuzzy logic, the media guidanceapplication (e.g., via a content recognition module or algorithmincorporated into, or accessible by, the media guidance application) maydetermine two fields and/or values to be identical even though thesubstance of the data or value (e.g., two different spellings) is notidentical.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may analyzeparticular received data of a data structure or media asset frame forparticular values or text using optical character recognition methodsdescribed above in order to determine a characteristic of a media asset.For example, the media guidance application may process the spoken wordsof the user to find particular keywords that may be indicative of acurrent biometric state or a particular biometric measurement.

The guidance application may be implemented using any suitablearchitecture. For example, it may be a stand-alone application whollyimplemented on user equipment device 300. In such an approach,instructions of the application are stored locally (e.g., in storage308), and data for use by the application is downloaded on a periodicbasis (e.g., from an out-of-band feed, from an Internet resource, orusing another suitable approach). Control circuitry 304 may retrieveinstructions of the application from storage 308 and process theinstructions to generate any of the displays discussed herein. Based onthe processed instructions, control circuitry 304 may determine whataction to perform when input is received from input interface 310. Forexample, movement of a cursor on a display up/down may be indicated bythe processed instructions when input interface 310 indicates that anup/down button was selected.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application is a client-serverbased application. Data for use by a thick or thin client implemented onuser equipment device 300 is retrieved on-demand by issuing requests toa server remote to the user equipment device 300. In one example of aclient-server based guidance application, control circuitry 304 runs aweb browser that interprets web pages provided by a remote server. Forexample, the remote server may store the instructions for theapplication in a storage device. The remote server may process thestored instructions using circuitry (e.g., control circuitry 304) andgenerate the displays discussed above and below. The client device mayreceive the displays generated by the remote server and may display thecontent of the displays locally on equipment device 300. This way, theprocessing of the instructions is performed remotely by the server whilethe resulting displays are provided locally on equipment device 300.Equipment device 300 may receive inputs from the user via inputinterface 310 and transmit those inputs to the remote server forprocessing and generating the corresponding displays. For example,equipment device 300 may transmit a communication to the remote serverindicating that an up/down button was selected via input interface 310.The remote server may process instructions in accordance with that inputand generate a display of the application corresponding to the input(e.g., a display that moves a cursor up/down). The generated display isthen transmitted to equipment device 300 for presentation to the user.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application is downloaded andinterpreted or otherwise run by an interpreter or virtual machine (runby control circuitry 304). In some embodiments, the guidance applicationmay be encoded in the ETV Binary Interchange Format (EBIF), received bycontrol circuitry 304 as part of a suitable feed, and interpreted by auser agent running on control circuitry 304. For example, the guidanceapplication may be an EBIF application. In some embodiments, theguidance application may be defined by a series of JAVA-based files thatare received and run by a local virtual machine or other suitablemiddleware executed by control circuitry 304. In some of suchembodiments (e.g., those employing MPEG-2 or other digital mediaencoding schemes), the guidance application may be, for example, encodedand transmitted in an MPEG-2 object carousel with the MPEG audio andvideo packets of a program.

User equipment device 300 of FIG. 3 can be implemented in system 400 ofFIG. 4 as biometric monitoring equipment 402, user computer equipment404, wireless user communications device 406, or any other type of userequipment suitable for accessing content, such as a non-portable gamingmachine. For simplicity, these devices may be referred to hereincollectively as user equipment or user equipment devices, and may besubstantially similar to user equipment devices described above. Userequipment devices, on which a media guidance application may beimplemented, may function as a standalone device or may be part of anetwork of devices. Various network configurations of devices may beimplemented and are discussed in more detail below. In some embodiments,user equipment may refer to components incorporated into, coupled to, oraccessible by a vehicle.

A user equipment device utilizing at least some of the system featuresdescribed above in connection with FIG. 3 may not be classified solelyas biometric monitoring equipment 402, user computer equipment 404, or awireless user communications device 406. For example, biometricmonitoring equipment 402 may, like some user computer equipment 404, beInternet-enabled allowing for access to Internet content, while usercomputer equipment 404 may, like some biometric monitoring equipment402, include a detection module (e.g., detection module 316 (FIG. 3 ))for detecting a current biometric state or a particular biometricmeasurement. The media guidance application may have the same layout onvarious different types of user equipment or may be tailored to thedisplay capabilities of the user equipment. For example, on usercomputer equipment 404, the guidance application may be provided as aweb site accessed by a web browser. In another example, the guidanceapplication may be scaled down for wireless user communications devices406.

In system 400, there is typically more than one of each type of userequipment device but only one of each is shown in FIG. 4 to avoidovercomplicating the drawing. In addition, each user may utilize morethan one type of user equipment device and also more than one of eachtype of user equipment device.

In some embodiments, a user equipment device (e.g., biometric monitoringequipment 402, user computer equipment 404, wireless user communicationsdevice 406) may be referred to as a “second screen device.” For example,a second screen device may supplement content presented on a first userequipment device. The content presented on the second screen device maybe any suitable content that supplements the content presented on thefirst device. In some embodiments, the second screen device provides aninterface for adjusting settings and display preferences of the firstdevice. In some embodiments, the second screen device is configured forinteracting with other second screen devices or for interacting with asocial network. The second screen device can be located in the same roomas the first device, a different room from the first device but in thesame house or building, or in a different building from the firstdevice.

The user may also set various settings to maintain consistent mediaguidance application settings across in-home and vehicular devices andremote devices. Settings include those described herein, as well aschannel and program favorites, programming preferences that the guidanceapplication utilizes to make programming recommendations, displaypreferences, and other desirable guidance settings. For example, if auser sets a channel as a favorite on, for example, the web sitewww.allrovi.com on their personal computer at their office, the samechannel would appear as a favorite on the user's in-home devices (e.g.,user television equipment and user computer equipment) as well as theuser's mobile devices, if desired. Therefore, changes made on one userequipment device can change the guidance experience on another userequipment device, regardless of whether they are the same or a differenttype of user equipment device. In addition, the changes made may bebased on settings input by a user, as well as user activity monitored bythe guidance application.

The user equipment devices may be coupled to communications network 414.Namely, biometric monitoring equipment 402, user computer equipment 404,and wireless user communications device 406 are coupled tocommunications network 414 via communications paths 408, 410, and 412,respectively. Communications network 414 may be one or more networksincluding the Internet, a mobile phone network, mobile voice or datanetwork (e.g., a 4G or LTE network), cable network, public switchedtelephone network, or other types of communications network orcombinations of communications networks. Paths 408, 410, and 412 mayseparately or together include one or more communications paths, suchas, a satellite path, a fiber-optic path, a cable path, a path thatsupports Internet communications (e.g., IPTV), free-space connections(e.g., for broadcast or other wireless signals), or any other suitablewired or wireless communications path or combination of such paths. Path412 is drawn with dotted lines to indicate that in the exemplaryembodiment shown in FIG. 4 it is a wireless path and paths 408 and 410are drawn as solid lines to indicate they are wired paths (althoughthese paths may be wireless paths, if desired). Communications with theuser equipment devices may be provided by one or more of thesecommunications paths, but are shown as a single path in FIG. 4 to avoidovercomplicating the drawing.

Although communications paths are not drawn between user equipmentdevices, these devices may communicate directly with each other viacommunication paths, such as those described above in connection withpaths 408, 410, and 412, as well as other short-range point-to-pointcommunication paths, such as USB cables, IEEE 1394 cables, wirelesspaths (e.g., Bluetooth, infrared, IEEE 802-11x, etc.), or othershort-range communication via wired or wireless paths. BLUETOOTH is acertification mark owned by Bluetooth SIG, INC. The user equipmentdevices may also communicate with each other directly through anindirect path via communications network 414.

System 400 includes content source 416 and media guidance data source418 coupled to communications network 414 via communication paths 420and 422, respectively. Paths 420 and 422 may include any of thecommunication paths described above in connection with paths 408, 410,and 412. Communications with the content source 416 and media guidancedata source 418 may be exchanged over one or more communications paths,but are shown as a single path in FIG. 4 to avoid overcomplicating thedrawing. In addition, there may be more than one of each of contentsource 416 and media guidance data source 418, but only one of each isshown in FIG. 4 to avoid overcomplicating the drawing. (The differenttypes of each of these sources are discussed below.) If desired, contentsource 416 and media guidance data source 418 may be integrated as onesource device. Although communications between sources 416 and 418 withuser equipment devices 402, 404, and 406 are shown as throughcommunications network 414, in some embodiments, sources 416 and 418 maycommunicate directly with user equipment devices 402, 404, and 406 viacommunication paths (not shown) such as those described above inconnection with paths 408, 410, and 412.

Content source 416 may include one or more types of content distributionequipment including a television distribution facility, cable systemheadend, satellite distribution facility, programming sources (e.g.,television broadcasters, such as NBC, ABC, HBO, etc.), intermediatedistribution facilities and/or servers, Internet providers, on-demandmedia servers, and other content providers. NBC is a trademark owned bythe National Broadcasting Company, Inc., ABC is a trademark owned by theAmerican Broadcasting Company, Inc., and HBO is a trademark owned by theHome Box Office, Inc. Content source 416 may be the originator ofcontent (e.g., a television broadcaster, a Webcast provider, etc.) ormay not be the originator of content (e.g., an on-demand contentprovider, an Internet provider of content of broadcast programs fordownloading, etc.). Content source 416 may include cable sources,satellite providers, on-demand providers, Internet providers,over-the-top content providers, or other providers of content. Contentsource 416 may also include a remote media server used to storedifferent types of content (including video content selected by a user),in a location remote from any of the user equipment devices. Systems andmethods for remote storage of content, and providing remotely storedcontent to user equipment are discussed in greater detail in connectionwith Ellis et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,761,892, issued Jul. 20, 2010, whichis hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

Media guidance data source 418 may provide media guidance data, such asthe media guidance data described above. Media guidance application datamay be provided to the user equipment devices using any suitableapproach. In some embodiments, the guidance application may be astand-alone interactive television program guide that receives programguide data via a data feed (e.g., a continuous feed or trickle feed).Program schedule data and other guidance data may be provided to theuser equipment on a television channel sideband, using an in-banddigital signal, using an out-of-band digital signal, or by any othersuitable data transmission technique. Program schedule data and othermedia guidance data may be provided to user equipment on multiple analogor digital television channels.

In some embodiments, guidance data from media guidance data source 418may be provided to users' equipment using a client-server approach. Forexample, a user equipment device may pull media guidance data from aserver, or a server may push media guidance data to a user equipmentdevice. In some embodiments, a guidance application client residing onthe user's equipment may initiate sessions with source 418 to obtainguidance data when needed, e.g., when the guidance data is out of dateor when the user equipment device receives a request from the user toreceive data. Media guidance may be provided to the user equipment withany suitable frequency (e.g., continuously, daily, a user-specifiedperiod of time, a system-specified period of time, in response to arequest from user equipment, etc.). Media guidance data source 418 mayprovide user equipment devices 402, 404, and 406 the media guidanceapplication itself or software updates for the media guidanceapplication.

Media guidance applications may be, for example, stand-aloneapplications implemented on user equipment devices. For example, themedia guidance application may be implemented as software or a set ofexecutable instructions which may be stored in storage 308, and executedby control circuitry 304 of a user equipment device 300. In someembodiments, media guidance applications may be client-serverapplications where only a client application resides on the userequipment device, and server application resides on a remote server. Forexample, media guidance applications may be implemented partially as aclient application on control circuitry 304 of user equipment device 300and partially on a remote server as a server application (e.g., mediaguidance data source 418) running on control circuitry of the remoteserver. When executed by control circuitry of the remote server (such asmedia guidance data source 418), the media guidance application mayinstruct the control circuitry to generate the guidance applicationdisplays and transmit the generated displays to the user equipmentdevices. The server application may instruct the control circuitry ofthe media guidance data source 418 to transmit data for storage on theuser equipment. The client application may instruct control circuitry ofthe receiving user equipment to generate the guidance applicationdisplays.

Content and/or media guidance data delivered to user equipment devices402, 404, and 406 may be over-the-top (OTT) content. OTT contentdelivery allows Internet-enabled user devices, including any userequipment device described above, to receive content that is transferredover the Internet, including any content described above, in addition tocontent received over cable or satellite connections. OTT content isdelivered via an Internet connection provided by an Internet serviceprovider (ISP), but a third party distributes the content. The ISP maynot be responsible for the viewing abilities, copyrights, orredistribution of the content, and may only transfer IP packets providedby the OTT content provider. Examples of OTT content providers includeYOUTUBE, NETFLIX, and HULU, which provide audio and video via IPpackets. Youtube is a trademark owned by Google Inc., Netflix is atrademark owned by Netflix Inc., and Hulu is a trademark owned by Hulu,LLC. OTT content providers may additionally or alternatively providemedia guidance data described above. In addition to content and/or mediaguidance data, providers of OTT content can distribute media guidanceapplications (e.g., web-based applications or cloud-based applications),or the content can be displayed by media guidance applications stored onthe user equipment device.

Media guidance system 400 is intended to illustrate a number ofapproaches, or network configurations, by which user equipment devicesand sources of content and guidance data may communicate with each otherfor the purpose of accessing content and providing media guidance. Theembodiments described herein may be applied in any one or a subset ofthese approaches, or in a system employing other approaches fordelivering content and providing media guidance. The following fourapproaches provide specific illustrations of the generalized example ofFIG. 4 .

In one approach, user equipment devices may communicate with each otherwithin a home network. User equipment devices can communicate with eachother directly via short-range point-to-point communication schemesdescribed above, via indirect paths through a hub or other similardevice provided on a home network, or via communications network 414.Each of the multiple individuals in a single home may operate differentuser equipment devices on the home network. As a result, it may bedesirable for various media guidance information or settings to becommunicated between the different user equipment devices. For example,it may be desirable for users to maintain consistent media guidanceapplication settings on different user equipment devices within a homenetwork, as described in greater detail in Ellis et al., U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/179,410, filed Jul. 11, 2005. Different types ofuser equipment devices in a home network may also communicate with eachother to transmit content. For example, a user may transmit content fromuser computer equipment to a portable video player or portable musicplayer.

In a second approach, users may have multiple types of user equipment bywhich they access content and obtain media guidance. For example, someusers may have home networks that are accessed by in-home and mobiledevices. Users may control in-home devices via a media guidanceapplication implemented on a remote device. For example, users mayaccess an online media guidance application on a website via a personalcomputer at their office, or a mobile device such as a PDA orweb-enabled mobile telephone. The user may set various settings (e.g.,recordings, reminders, or other settings) on the online guidanceapplication to control the user's in-home equipment. The online guidemay control the user's equipment directly, or by communicating with amedia guidance application on the user's in-home equipment. Varioussystems and methods for user equipment devices communicating, where theuser equipment devices are in locations remote from each other, isdiscussed in, for example, Ellis et al., U.S. Pat. No. 8,046,801, issuedOct. 25, 2011, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in itsentirety.

In a third approach, users of user equipment devices inside and outsidea home can use their media guidance application to communicate directlywith content source 416 to access content. Specifically, within a home,users of user television equipment 402 and user computer equipment 404may access the media guidance application to navigate among and locatedesirable content. Users may also access the media guidance applicationoutside of the home using wireless user communications devices 406 tonavigate among and locate desirable content.

In a fourth approach, user equipment devices may operate in a cloudcomputing environment to access cloud services. In a cloud computingenvironment, various types of computing services for content sharing,storage or distribution (e.g., video sharing sites or social networkingsites) are provided by a collection of network-accessible computing andstorage resources, referred to as “the cloud.” For example, the cloudcan include a collection of server computing devices, which may belocated centrally or at distributed locations, that provide cloud-basedservices to various types of users and devices connected via a networksuch as the Internet via communications network 414. These cloudresources may include one or more content sources 416 and one or moremedia guidance data sources 418. In addition or in the alternative, theremote computing sites may include other user equipment devices, such asbiometric monitoring equipment 402, user computer equipment 404, andwireless user communications device 406. For example, the other userequipment devices may provide access to a stored copy of a video or astreamed video. In such embodiments, user equipment devices may operatein a peer-to-peer manner without communicating with a central server.

The cloud provides access to services, such as content storage, contentsharing, or social networking services, among other examples, as well asaccess to any content described above, for user equipment devices.Services can be provided in the cloud through cloud computing serviceproviders, or through other providers of online services. For example,the cloud-based services can include a content storage service, acontent sharing site, a social networking site, or other services viawhich user-sourced content is distributed for viewing by others onconnected devices. These cloud-based services may allow a user equipmentdevice to store content to the cloud and to receive content from thecloud rather than storing content locally and accessing locally-storedcontent.

A user may use various content capture devices, such as camcorders,digital cameras with video mode, audio recorders, mobile phones, andhandheld computing devices, to record content. The user can uploadcontent to a content storage service on the cloud either directly, forexample, from user computer equipment 404 or wireless usercommunications device 406 having content capture feature. Alternatively,the user can first transfer the content to a user equipment device, suchas user computer equipment 404. The user equipment device storing thecontent uploads the content to the cloud using a data transmissionservice on communications network 414. In some embodiments, the userequipment device itself is a cloud resource, and other user equipmentdevices can access the content directly from the user equipment deviceon which the user stored the content.

Cloud resources may be accessed by a user equipment device using, forexample, a web browser, a media guidance application, a desktopapplication, a mobile application, and/or any combination of accessapplications of the same. The user equipment device may be a cloudclient that relies on cloud computing for application delivery, or theuser equipment device may have some functionality without access tocloud resources. For example, some applications running on the userequipment device may be cloud applications, i.e., applications deliveredas a service over the Internet, while other applications may be storedand run on the user equipment device. In some embodiments, a user devicemay receive content from multiple cloud resources simultaneously. Forexample, a user device can stream audio from one cloud resource whiledownloading content from a second cloud resource. Or a user device candownload content from multiple cloud resources for more efficientdownloading. In some embodiments, user equipment devices can use cloudresources for processing operations such as the processing operationsperformed by processing circuitry described in relation to FIG. 3 .

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of illustrative steps for enabling a mediaguidance application operation in response to determining that a currentbiometric state corresponds to a rule. It should be noted that process500 or any step thereof could be performed on, or provided by, any ofthe devices shown in FIGS. 3-4 . For example, process 500 may beexecuted by control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 ) as instructed by a mediaguidance application implemented on a user device (e.g., user equipmentdevices 402, 404, and/or 406 (FIG. 4 )) in order to determine whether ornot a current biometric state corresponds to a rule. In addition, one ormore steps of process 500 may be incorporated into or combined with oneor more steps of any other process or embodiment (e.g., as shown inFIGS. 6-8 ).

At step 502, the media guidance application receives a rule setassociated with desired biometric state or states of a user. Forexample, the media guidance application may receive a user input (e.g.,via user input interface 310 (FIG. 3 )) selecting a rule set (e.g., fromwindow 204 (FIG. 2 )) corresponding with a specific goal. For example,the media guidance application may receive a user input (e.g., from aparent) selecting a rule set corresponding with a specific goal (e.g.,studying, exercising, not smoking, etc.) or biometric state of a user(e.g., a particular level of concentration) for a first user (e.g., achild).

Alternatively or additionally, the media guidance application mayreceive (e.g., via I/O path 302 (FIG. 3 )) a rule set transmitted from aremote location (e.g., a remote user device), which accesses the mediaguidance application via a communications network (e.g., communicationsnetwork 414 (FIG. 4 )), that indicates the particular rule set thatshould be applied. For example, a remote device (e.g., operated by aparent) may set and/or customize the rule set that governs the mediaguidance application operations enabled/disabled based on the biometricstate of the user.

Alternatively or additionally, the media guidance application mayreceive (e.g., from storage 308 (FIG. 3 )) a rule set based onpredetermined conditions. For example, the media guidance applicationmay store one or more user profiles, each associated with a particularuser, and each indicating one or more rule sets that should be appliedto the user in given scenarios. For example, customizations to therules, rule sets, and/or available media guidance application operationsmay be retrieved by the media guidance application upon the mediaguidance application identifying (e.g., manually via a user inputthrough user input interface 310 (FIG. 3 ) or automatically viadetection module 316 (FIG. 3 )) a user.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may apply the rulesset based on particular conditions. For example, the rule set may bebased on parental control settings entered on a remote device. Inanother example, the rule set may be automatically applied during apredetermined period time. For example, if a user is schedule to studyfor the next hour or be asleep at ten o'clock, the media guidanceapplication may apply corresponding rules sets.

In some embodiments, a rule set may be applied in response to detectinga change in biometric data. For example, in response to a user's bloodpressure increasing, the media guidance application may apply a rule setassociated with lowering blood pressure.

In another example, the rule set may be automatically applied inresponse to determining the user is at a predetermined location. Forexample, the media guidance application may apply a first rule set whilea user is a first location (e.g., a library, school, etc.) and adifferent rules set while the user is a second location (e.g., abaseball field, a friend's house, etc.). The location may also berelative to a particular object. For example, the media guidanceapplication may determine the location of an object (e.g., a vehicleassociated with the user) and apply a rule set (e.g., limiting theblood-alcohol level of the user) when the user is near the location ofthe object.

At step 504, the media guidance application (e.g., via control circuitry304 (FIG. 3 )) determines a media guidance application operation that isassociated with adherence to the rule set. For example, the mediaguidance application operation may include an option related to apresentation volume of content (e.g., how loud music may be played), anoption related to content that is presented (e.g., whether or not amedia asset may be presented to the user), an option related to a theuse of a user device (e.g., whether or not a user device can be user tomake a telephone call), or an option related to a movement of thevehicle (e.g., where to, or how fast, the vehicle may move).

For example, the media guidance application may query a database, forexample, located locally (e.g., on storage 308 (FIG. 3 )) or remotely(e.g., at media content source 416 (FIG. 4 ), media guidance data source418 (FIG. 4 ), and/or located at any location accessible viacommunications network 414 (FIG. 4 )) to determine a media guidanceapplication operation that is associated with adherence to the rule set.For example, the database may be structured as a look-up table. Themedia guidance application (e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 ))may input a rule and/or rule set into the look-up table. The look-uptable may then filter the results and output all media guidanceapplication operations that correspond to the particular rule set.

For example, a rule set may indicate that a user may only make calls ona telephone when their heart rate is above normal (e.g., indicating thatthe user is in an emergency). Furthermore, the rule set may indicatethat only particular telephone numbers and only telephone calls of aparticular length may be made. In another example, a rule set mayindicate that a user may only watch television if the user has beenpreviously sitting still and/or has had at a high level of attention(e.g., corresponds to studying/doing homework) for the previous hour. Inyet another example, a rule set may indicate that a user may only orderfood (e.g., using an online service or using a virtual wallet) when aparticular biometric state (e.g., low blood sugar level) is achieved.Furthermore, the type and/or amount of food that the user can order mayalso be indicated by the rule set.

At step 506, the media guidance application cross-references the ruleset with a database listing rules associated with rule sets to determinea rule that corresponds to the rule set. For example, each rule set maybe associated with various rules also corresponding to fulfilment of thegoal associated with the rule set. For example, if a rule setcorresponds to proper biometric state of the user for a fourteen yearold child, the rule set may include one or more rules indicating a thatconsuming alcohol or smoking is not permitted (e.g., an allowable bloodalcohol level or nicotine level is zero percent).

Similar to step 504, the media guidance application may query a databasethat is located locally (e.g., on storage 308 (FIG. 3 )) or remotely(e.g., at media content source 416 (FIG. 4 ), media guidance data source418 (FIG. 4 ), and/or located at any location accessible viacommunications network 414 (FIG. 4 )) to determine a rule thatcorresponds to a rule set. For example, the database may be structuredas a look-up table. The media guidance application (e.g., via controlcircuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) may input a rule set into the look-up table.The look-up table may then filter the results and output all rules thatcorrespond to the particular rule set.

At step 508, the media guidance application determines a currentbiometric state of the user. For example, the media guidance applicationmay determine (e.g., via detection module 316 (FIG. 3 )) the currentbiometric state of the user. For example, the media guidanceapplication, or the user device (e.g., user equipment devices 402, 404,and/or 406 (FIG. 4 )) upon which the media guidance application isimplemented, may incorporate and/or have access to a plurality ofsensors and/or monitoring components (e.g., detection module 316 (FIG. 3)). For example, the media guidance application, or the user device uponwhich the media guidance application is implemented, may incorporateand/or have access to a heart monitor, glucose blood meter, respiratorymonitors, devices for obtaining tissue, blood, and/or any other suitablesamples from a user, and/or any other devices necessary for determiningthe biometric measurements of the user.

At step 510, the media guidance application compares (e.g., via controlcircuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) the current biometric state of the user to therule to determine whether the current biometric state of the usercorresponds to the rule, and (e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 ))enables or disables the media guidance application operation in responseto determining (e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) that thebiometric state of the user corresponds to (or does not correspond to)the rule at step 612. For example, the biometric state of the user andthe rule may be quantified into a particular value, the media guidanceapplication may (e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) then comparethe values to determine whether the two values correspond.

For example, the media guidance application may quantify a rule set thatindicates an average level of concentration a user must maintain over aperiod of time. The media guidance application may compare the averagelevel of concentration to the actual level of concentration of the user(e.g., the brain state of the user) during that period of time. Based ona comparison, the media guidance application may determine whether ornot one or more media guidance application operations are enabled on oneor more user devices.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may perform actionsalternatively to, or in addition to, enabling or disabling a mediaguidance application operation. For example, in response to determining(e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) a biometric state of theuser is in violation of a rule, the media guidance application may(e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) notify a user (or a thirdparty) of a relationship between the current brain state and the rule(e.g., the rule that the user is currently in violation, of or a degreeto which a user is violating the rule, etc.). For example, the mediaguidance application (e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) maytransmit a message to another device (e.g., operated by a parent)indicating that the user (e.g., a child) is violating a rule.

It is contemplated that the steps or descriptions of FIG. 5 may be usedwith any other embodiment of this disclosure. In addition, the steps anddescriptions described in relation to FIG. 5 may be done in alternativeorders or in parallel to further the purposes of this disclosure. Forexample, each of these steps may be performed in any order or inparallel or substantially simultaneously to reduce lag or increase thespeed of the system or method. Furthermore, it should be noted that anyof the devices or equipment discussed in relation to FIGS. 3-4 could beused to perform one or more of the steps in FIG. 5 .

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of illustrative steps for modifying media guidanceapplication operation(s) based on determined effects of the currentbiometric state of a user corresponding to one or more rules in a ruleset. It should be noted that process 600 or any step thereof could beperformed on, or provided by, any of the devices shown in FIGS. 3-4 .For example, process 600 may be executed by control circuitry 304 (FIG.3 ) as instructed by a media guidance application implemented on a userdevice (e.g., user equipment devices 402, 404, and/or 406 (FIG. 4 )) inorder to determine whether or not a current biometric state of a usercorresponds to a rule. In addition, one or more steps of process 600 maybe incorporated into or combined with one or more steps of any otherprocess or embodiment (e.g., as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7-8 ).

At step 602, the media guidance application retrieves (e.g., via controlcircuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) a rule set. For example, the media guidanceapplication may retrieve a rule set in response to receiving (e.g., viaI/O path 302 (FIG. 3 )) an instruction from a remote device (e.g.,transmitting parental control settings). For example, the media guidanceapplication may request the user provide identification (e.g., apassword, key, biometric measurement, etc.). Upon identifying the user,the media guidance application may (e.g., via control circuitry 304(FIG. 3 )) retrieve (e.g., from storage 308 (FIG. 3 ) and/or anylocation accessible via communications network 414 (FIG. 4 )) a userprofile associated with a user that includes one or more rule setsassociated with the user.

At step 604, the media guidance application detects a current biometricstate. For example, as discussed above in step 508 (FIG. 6 ), the mediaguidance application may determine (e.g., via detection module 316 (FIG.3 )) the current biometric state through the use of one or morebiometric monitoring devices (e.g., biometric monitoring equipment 402(FIG. 4 )).

At step 606, the media guidance application retrieves a rule from therule set. For example, the rule set may include one or more rules, ormay itself include one or more rule sets. The media guidance application(e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) retrieves a rule for therule set to compare it to current biometric state at step 608. If thecurrent biometric state corresponds to the rule set, the media guidanceapplication proceeds to step 610 and determines an effect that notcorresponding to the rule set has on one or more media guidanceapplication operations. For example, in response to determining (e.g.,via detection module 316 (FIG. 3 ) coupled to control circuitry 304(FIG. 3 )) that a user is inebriated (e.g., in violation of a rule of arule set), the media guidance application may no longer allow a user toaccess an in-vehicle stereo system. In response to determining (e.g.,via detection module 316 (FIG. 3 ) coupled to control circuitry 304(FIG. 3 )) that a user is smoking (e.g., in violation of another rule ofa rule set), the media guidance application may no longer allow a userto consume media assets on a user device. In response to determining(e.g., via detection module 316 (FIG. 3 ) coupled to control circuitry304 (FIG. 3 )) that a user is not asleep during the scheduled bedtime ofthe user (e.g., in violation of yet another rule of a rule set), themedia guidance application disable the Internet connection to a userdevice associated with the user.

At step 612, the media guidance application determines whether or notthere are any additional rules in the rule set. For example, the mediaguidance application (e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) mayperform one or more iterations of comparing a retrieved rule to acurrent biometric state. If the media guidance application determines(e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) that there are additionalrules, the media guidance application returns to step 606. If the mediaguidance application determines (e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3)) that there are no additional rules in the rule set, the mediaguidance application proceeds to step 614.

At step 614, the media guidance application determines whether or notthere are any additional biometric states being monitored. For example,the media guidance application (e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3)) may perform one or more iterations of comparisons of retrieved rulesto detected biometric states. If the media guidance applicationdetermines (e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) that there areadditional biometric states being monitored or detected, the mediaguidance application returns to step 604. If the media guidanceapplication determines (e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) thatthere are no additional biometric states being monitored or detected,the media guidance application proceeds to step 616, and at step 616,the media guidance application (e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3)) enables or disables one or more available media guidance applicationoperations based on the determined effects.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application (e.g., via controlcircuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) may perform actions alternative to, or inaddition to, enabling or disabling a media guidance applicationoperation. For example, in response to determining (e.g., via controlcircuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) a current biometric state of a user is inviolation of a rule, the media guidance application may (e.g., viacontrol circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) notify the user (or a third party) of arelationship between the current biometric state and the rule (e.g., therule of which the user is currently in violation, or a degree to which auser is violating the rule, etc.).

In some embodiments, the actions alternatively to, or in addition to,enabling or disabling a media guidance application operation may includegeneric punishments. As used herein, a “generic punishment” refers to anaction taken by the media guidance application to coerce a particularbiometric state of the user. For example, in response to determining(e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) a biometric state of theuser is in violation of a rule, the media guidance application may(e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) publicly distribute (e.g.,via a posting on a social network) embarrassing pictures related to auser. For example, the media guidance application may receive data(e.g., metadata) indicating that a media asset is embarrassing and/orhas one or more characteristics of an embarrassing media asset (e.g.,the media asset may include an image of the user in which the user isout-of-focus, has his or her eyes closed, etc.). Alternatively, themedia guidance application may (e.g., via detection module 316 (FIG. 3)) determine (e.g., via one or more object recognition techniquediscussed above) that the contents of the media asset are embarrassingto the user.

Alternatively or additionally, the media guidance application mayrequest (e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) a media asset from alocal database (e.g., storage 308 (FIG. 3 )) or a remote database (e.g.,any device accessible via communications network 414 (FIG. 4 )) that isassociated with embarrassing media assets of a user. For example, inresponse to determining that a user is smoking (e.g., in violation of arule), the media guidance application may retrieve an embarrassingmessage related to the rule (e.g., “Joe wants to die of lung cancer”)and publically distribute the message. For example, a third party (e.g.,a parent) may upload embarrassing media assets of a user (e.g., a child)to the database. The third party may indicate that each media asset isembarrassing and/or indicate what media asset should be publicallydistributed in response to particular violations.

In another example, in response to determining (e.g., via controlcircuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) a current biometric state of the user is inviolation of a rule, the media guidance application may (e.g., viacontrol circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) delete media assets (e.g., stored instorage 308 (FIG. 3 )) associated with the user or fail to take actions(e.g., record a media asset scheduled to be recorded) requested by theuser. Additionally or alternatively, the media guidance application maydetermine (e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) that a media assetcorresponds to a favorite program of the user. For example, the mediaguidance application may (e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 ))compare attributes associated with stored media assets to userpreferences (e.g., retrieved from a user profile stored in storage 308(FIG. 3 )). In response to determining that a particular media assetcorresponds to the user preferences, the media guidance application may(e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) delete the media asset(e.g., from storage 308 (FIG. 3 )) or cancel a scheduled recording.

In another example, in response to determining (e.g., via controlcircuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) a current biometric state of the user is inviolation of a rule, the media guidance application may (e.g., viacontrol circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) charge an account associated with theuser a fixed fee. For example, the media guidance application may (e.g.,via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) retrieve a fixed fee (e.g., asindicated in a database located at storage 308 (FIG. 3 ) and/or anylocation accessible via communications network 414 (FIG. 4 )) thatshould be attributed to the account of a user based on the violation.Upon determining that the current biometric state of the user is inviolation of the rule (e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )), themedia guidance application may (e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3)) charge an account associated with the user the determined fixed fee.

It is contemplated that the steps or descriptions of FIG. 6 may be usedwith any other embodiment of this disclosure. In addition, the steps anddescriptions described in relation to FIG. 6 may be done in alternativeorders or in parallel to further the purposes of this disclosure. Forexample, each of these steps may be performed in any order or inparallel or substantially simultaneously to reduce lag or increase thespeed of the system or method. Furthermore, it should be noted that anyof the devices or equipment discussed in relation to FIGS. 3-4 could beused to perform one or more of the steps in FIG. 6 .

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of illustrative steps for establishingcommunication with a second user based on the biometric state a firstuser. It should be noted that process 700 or any step thereof could beperformed on, or provided by, any of the devices shown in FIGS. 3-4 .For example, process 700 may be executed by control circuitry 304 (FIG.3 ) as instructed by a media guidance application implemented on a userdevice (e.g., user equipment devices 402, 404, and/or 406 (FIG. 4 )) inorder to establish communication with a second user based on thebiometric state a first user. In addition, one or more steps of process700 may be incorporated into or combined with one or more steps of anyother process or embodiment (e.g., as shown in FIGS. 5-6 and 8 ).

In step 702, the media guidance application measures (e.g., usingdetection module 316 (FIG. 3 )) biometric data associated with a firstuser. For example, the media guidance application may receive (e.g., viaI/O path 302 (FIG. 3 )) data from a biometric monitoring device attachedto, worn by, or held by the user. As discussed above in relation to step508 (FIG. 5 ), the media guidance application, or the user device (e.g.,user equipment devices 402, 404, and/or 406 (FIG. 4 )) upon which themedia guidance application is implemented, may incorporate and/or haveaccess to a plurality of sensors and/or monitoring components (e.g.,detection module 316 (FIG. 3 )) for determining biometric data (e.g., acurrent biometric state) associated with the first user. For example,the media guidance application, or the user device upon which the mediaguidance application is implemented, may incorporate and/or have accessto a heart monitor, glucose blood meter, respiratory monitors, devicesfor obtaining tissue, blood, and/or any other suitable samples from auser, and/or any other devices necessary for determining the biometricmeasurements of the user.

At step 704, the media guidance application determines (e.g., viacontrol circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) a biometric state of the first userbased on the biometric data. For example, the media guidance applicationmay interpret (e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) the biometricdata to determine whether or not the heart rate of the user is elevated,whether or not a user is concentrating, etc. For example, the mediaguidance application may determine whether or not a current biometricstate of the user is higher, lower, etc. compared to a baselinebiometric state of the user (e.g., retrieved from storage 308 or anylocation accessible via communications network 414 (FIG. 4 ))) orrelative to a baseline biometric state of average users (e.g., retrievedfrom storage 308 or any location accessible via communications network414 (FIG. 4 )).

At step 706, the media guidance application cross-references (e.g., viacontrol circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) the biometric state of the first userwith a database (e.g., located at storage 308 or any location accessiblevia communications network 414 (FIG. 4 )) listing a plurality of usersassociated with different biometric states to identify a second userassociated with the first user to establish communication based on thebiometric state of the first user. For example, the database may list ofentities such as friends (e.g., a social network buddy list), contacts(e.g., retrieved from a phone/text message/e-mail account associatedwith the user), and/or public services (e.g., hospitals, policedepartments, schools, etc.) with known associations to the user or thecommunity of the user. The media guidance application (e.g., via controlcircuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) may filter the list of entities based onwhether or not establishing communication with the particular entitycorresponds to the biometric state of the user. For example, in additionto storing the name and communication information associated with eachentity, the database may indicate biometric states that correspond toeach entity.

For example, if the biometric state of the user corresponds to ablood-alcohol level of 0.02 (e.g., indicating that the user has beenconsuming alcohol), the media guidance application may establishcommunication with a friend or family member of the user. If thebiometric state of the user corresponds to a drop, or lack thereof, inthe breath rate of the user (e.g., indicate the user has stoppedbreathing), the media guidance application may establish communicationwith a hospital. If the biometric state of the user corresponds to anincrease in the heart rate of the user (e.g., indicating the user is indanger), the media guidance application may establish communication withthe police.

At step 708, the media guidance application generates for display to thefirst user (e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) communicationinformation (e.g., retrieve from storage 308 (FIG. 3 ) or any locationaccessible via communications network 414 (FIG. 4 )) associated with thesecond user based on the identification. For example, in response todetermine a particular user or entity to contact, the media guidanceapplication may transmit a mailing address, an e-mail address, aweb-site address, a telephone number, etc. for the particular user orentity to a user device (e.g., a smartphone) detected to be associatedwith the user.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may generate fordisplay (e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) a list of aplurality of users or entities each of which corresponds to thebiometric state of the user (and/or the communication information foreach entity). For example, in response to determining that a user isexcited, the media guidance application may present a list of all of thefriends of a user (e.g., as indicated by a social network associatedwith the user). In another example, in response to determining that auser has stopped breathing, the media guidance application may present alist of all of hospitals near the current position of the user (e.g., asdetermined based on GPS components associated with detection module 316(FIG. 3 )).

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may additionallyestablish communication with the second user in response to a userinput. For example, after generating for display to the first user(e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) the communicationinformation associated with the second user, the media guidanceapplication may receive a user request (e.g., via user input interface310 (FIG. 3 )) to contact the second user. Based on this request, themedia guidance application (e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 ))establishes communications with (e.g., calls) the second user.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may automatically(e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) establish communication withthe second user based on the biometric state of the first user. Forexample, the media guidance application may automatically contact a userafter the communication information has been generated for display aparticular amount of time. Alternatively or additionally, the mediaguidance application may determine whether or not to automaticallycontact the second user based on the biometric state of the user. Forexample, if the media guidance application determines (e.g., via controlcircuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) that the biometric state of the user inhibitsfrom requesting to contact the second user (e.g., the user inunconscious), the media guidance application may automatically contactthe second user (e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )).

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may determine (e.g.,via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) a communication method forestablishing communication with the second user based on an identity ofthe second user. For example, the media guidance application maydetermine that a particular user (e.g., a parent) prefers (e.g., asindicated by a user profile or user preference stored in storage 308(FIG. 3 ) and/or at any location accessible via communications network414 (FIG. 4 )) to receive communications via a telephone call, whereas adifferent user (e.g., a friend) prefers to receive communications viatext message. Additionally or alternatively, the media guidanceapplication may determine (e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) acommunication method for establishing communication with the second userbased on biometric state of the user. For example, if the media guidanceapplication determines (e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) thatthe biometric state of the user is not conducive to speaking (e.g., theuser is inebriated), the media guidance application may determine (e.g.,via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) to communicate via text message.

In some embodiments, the media guidance application may determine (e.g.,via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) a message to be communicated thesecond user based on the biometric state of the first user. For example,the media guidance application may determine (e.g., via controlcircuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) to send a message inviting a user to join thefirst user on a jog in response to determining (e.g., via controlcircuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) the user is jogging based on the biometricdata. In another example, the media guidance application may determine(e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) to post a message to thefirst user's social network page inviting other users to join the firstuser in drinking alcohol in response to determining (e.g., via controlcircuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) the user is inebriated based on the biometricdata.

It is contemplated that the steps or descriptions of FIG. 7 may be usedwith any other embodiment of this disclosure. In addition, the steps anddescriptions described in relation to FIG. 7 may be done in alternativeorders or in parallel to further the purposes of this disclosure. Forexample, each of these steps may be performed in any order or inparallel or substantially simultaneously to reduce lag or increase thespeed of the system or method. Furthermore, it should be noted that anyof the devices or equipment discussed in relation to FIGS. 3-4 could beused to perform one or more of the steps in FIG. 7 .

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of illustrative steps for generating for displaycommunication information for all entities that correspond to thecurrent biometric state of the user in accordance with some embodimentsof the disclosure. It should be noted that process 700 or any stepthereof could be performed on, or provided by, any of the devices shownin FIGS. 3-4 . For example, process 700 may be executed by controlcircuitry 304 (FIG. 3 ) as instructed by a media guidance applicationimplemented on a user device (e.g., user equipment devices 402, 404,and/or 406 (FIG. 4 )) in order to establish communication with a seconduser based on the biometric state a first user. In addition, one or moresteps of process 700 may be incorporated into or combined with one ormore steps of any other process or embodiment (e.g., as shown in FIGS.5-6 and 8 ).

At step 802, the media guidance application determines (e.g., viacontrol circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) a current biometric state of the user.For example, the media guidance application may measure biometric datausing a biometric monitoring device (e.g., detection module 316 (FIG. 3)) attached to, worn by, or held by the user. As discussed above inrelation to step 702 (FIG. 7 ), the media guidance application, or theuser device (e.g., user equipment devices 402, 404, and/or 406 (FIG. 4)) upon which the media guidance application is implemented, mayincorporate and/or have access to a plurality of sensors and/ormonitoring components (e.g., detection module 316 (FIG. 3 )) fordetermining biometric data (e.g., a current biometric state) associatedwith the first user. For example, the media guidance application, or theuser device upon which the media guidance application is implemented,may incorporate and/or have access to a heart monitor, glucose bloodmeter, respiratory monitors, devices for obtaining tissue, blood, and/orany other suitable samples from a user, and/or any other devicesnecessary for determining the biometric measurements of the user. Themedia guidance application may then interpret (e.g., via controlcircuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) the biometric data to determine a currentbiometric state of the user.

At step 804, the media guidance application retrieves (e.g., via controlcircuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) a list of entities associated with the user.For example, as discussed in step 706 (FIG. 7 ), the user may beassociated with one or more entities (e.g., as indicated by a userprofile located at storage 308 or any location accessible viacommunications network 414 (FIG. 4 )). For example, the entities mayinclude friends (e.g., a social network buddy list), contacts (e.g.,retrieved from a phone/text message/e-mail account associated with theuser), and/or public services (e.g., hospitals, police departments,schools, etc.) with known associations to the user or the community ofthe user.

At step 806, the media guidance application selects (e.g., via controlcircuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) an entity from the list and determines whetheror not the entity corresponds to a current biometric state of the userat step 808. For example, the media guidance application (e.g., viacontrol circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )), in addition to storing the name of theentity store one or more biometric states that correspond to the entity.At step 808, the media guidance application determines (e.g., viacontrol circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) whether or not the selected entitycorresponds to the current biometric state.

If the current biometric state corresponds to the entity at step 808,the media guidance application proceeds to step 810. For example, inresponse to determining (e.g., via detection module 316 (FIG. 3 )coupled to control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) that a user is inebriated(e.g., has a biometric state corresponding to a blood-alcohol level of1.0), the media guidance application may determine whether or not theentity is associated with that biometric state. If the current biometricstate does not correspond to the entity at step 808, the media guidanceapplication proceeds to step 814.

At step 810, the media guidance application retrieves (e.g., fromstorage 308 (FIG. 3 ) and/or at any location accessible viacommunications network 414 (FIG. 4 )) communication informationassociated with the entity. For example, the media guidance applicationmay determine (e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) thecommunication information associated with the entity.

At step 812, the media guidance application determines whether or notthere are any additional entities in the list. For example, the mediaguidance application (e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) mayperform one or more iterations of comparing a current biometric state toan entity associated with a user. If the media guidance applicationdetermines (e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) that there areadditional entities, the media guidance application returns to step 806.If the media guidance application determines (e.g., via controlcircuitry 304 (FIG. 3 )) that there are no additional entities in thelist, the media guidance application proceeds to step 814.

At step 814, the media guidance application determines whether or notthere are any additional biometric states being monitored. For example,the media guidance application (e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3)) may perform one or more iterations of comparisons of each of theentities in the list to determine different biometric states. If themedia guidance application determines (e.g., via control circuitry 304(FIG. 3 )) that there are additional biometric states being monitored,the media guidance application returns to step 802. If the mediaguidance application determines (e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3)) that there are no additional biometric states being monitored, themedia guidance application proceeds to step 816, and at step 816, themedia guidance application (e.g., via control circuitry 304 (FIG. 3 ))generates for display retrieved communication information for all theentities corresponding to one or more current biometric states of theuser.

It is contemplated that the steps or descriptions of FIG. 8 may be usedwith any other embodiment of this disclosure. In addition, the steps anddescriptions described in relation to FIG. 8 may be done in alternativeorders or in parallel to further the purposes of this disclosure. Forexample, each of these steps may be performed in any order or inparallel or substantially simultaneously to reduce lag or increase thespeed of the system or method. Furthermore, it should be noted that anyof the devices or equipment discussed in relation to FIGS. 3-4 could beused to perform one or more of the steps in FIG. 8 .

The above-described embodiments of the present disclosure are presentedfor purposes of illustration and not of limitation, and the presentdisclosure is limited only by the claims which follow. Furthermore, itshould be noted that the features and limitations described in any oneembodiment may be applied to any other embodiment herein, and flowchartsor examples relating to one embodiment may be combined with any otherembodiment in a suitable manner, done in different orders, or done inparallel. In addition, the systems and methods described herein may beperformed in real time. It should also be noted, the systems and/ormethods described above may be applied to, or used in accordance with,other systems and/or methods.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: determining, using controlcircuitry, a current biometric state of a user based on a measuredbiometric signal; determining that the current biometric state of theuser corresponds to a stored rule which identifies a pre-defined timeslot and a pre-defined location; determining that a current time iswithin the pre-defined time slot; determining that a current location ofthe user corresponds to the pre-defined location; and in response todetermining that the current biometric state corresponds to the storedrule, that the current time is within the pre-defined time slot, andthat the current location of the user corresponds to the pre-definedlocation, disabling functionality of a device associated with the user.2. The method of claim 1, wherein the current biometric state of theuser is the user being awake.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein thefunctionality of the device comprises access to a network.
 4. The methodof claim 1, wherein the functionality of the device comprises operationof a media guidance application.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein themeasured biometric signal is received from a device attached to theuser.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the stored rule is based onparental controls entered on a remote device.
 7. The method of claim 1,wherein the stored rule is set based on one or more predeterminedconditions.
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining anew biometric state of the user based on a new measured biometricsignal; determining that the new biometric state of the user does notcorrespond to the stored rule and, in response, re-enablingfunctionality of the device.
 9. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: providing options for customizing the stored rule bychanging one or more conditions for activating the rule, changing one ormore biometric states of the stored rule, changing the pre-defined timeslot of the rule, or changing an effect of activating the rule; whereinthe stored rule corresponds to a particular user profile correspondingto the device.
 10. A system comprising: sensor circuitry for generatinga biometric signal; control circuitry configured to: determine a currentbiometric state of a user based on the generated biometric signal;determine that the current biometric state of the user corresponds to astored rule which identifies a pre-defined time slot and a pre-definedlocation; determine that a current time is within the pre-defined timeslot; determine that a current location of the user corresponds to thepre-defined location; and in response to determining that the currentbiometric state corresponds to the stored rule, that the current time iswithin the pre-defined time slot, and that the current location of theuser corresponds to the pre-defined location, disable functionality of adevice associated with the user.
 11. The system of claim 10, wherein thecurrent biometric state of the user is the user being awake.
 12. Thesystem of claim 10, wherein the functionality of the device comprisesaccess to a network.
 13. The system of claim 10, wherein thefunctionality of the device comprises operation of a media guidanceapplication.
 14. The system of claim 10, wherein the generated biometricsignal is received from a device attached to the user.
 15. The system ofclaim 10, wherein the stored rule is based on parental controls enteredon a remote device.
 16. The system of claim 10, wherein the stored ruleis set based on one or more predetermined conditions.
 17. The system ofclaim 10, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:determine a new biometric state of the user based on a new measuredbiometric signal; determine that the new biometric state of the userdoes not correspond to the stored rule and, in response, re-enablingfunctionality of the device.
 18. The system of claim 10, wherein thecontrol circuitry is further configured to: provide options forcustomizing the stored rule by changing one or more conditions foractivating the rule, changing one or more biometric states of the storedrule, changing the pre-defined time slot of the rule, or changing aneffect of activating the rule; wherein the stored rule corresponds to aparticular user profile corresponding to the device.